Researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA in Stuttgart, Germany, have developed a system for gathering exact data on mobility in patients with knee-injuries. They use a bandage that has an integrated bracket with sensors that measure the knee’s range of motion. The main challenge was to come up with an accurately measuring device that does not cause inconvenience for the patient. They used lightweight materials and miniature sensors; angular measurement systems based on magnetic principles; and acceleration and rate-of-rotation sensors, recording range of motion, rotation and endured forces. Data can be transferred to a computer to visualize long-term trends. The next joints the researchers plan to work on are the shoulder and the hips, which require 3D sensors to measure movement about all three axes.Press release:How to help heal an injured joint…

Wouter Stomp is a radiology resident at the radiology department of Leiden University Medical Center, the Netherlands. He is also a PhD candidate with his research focussing on the role of MRI in early rheumatoid arthritis.